Control
by watson-is-kittens
Summary: Shepard confronts the Illusive Man in person to discuss a cure for Kepral's.


She looked the Cerberus officer in the eye and raised a brow.

"Illusive Man's orders, ma'am," he plainly stated.

Commander Shepard tipped her head back slightly and sighed, annoyed by this minor inconvenience when she should have been surprised the Normandy had even been allowed to dock here at Cronos Station. The Illusive Man must have been pleasantly surprised by her request to enter Cerberus air space. She was glad Joker didn't ask many questions about why she had asked him to take her here. This was going to get complicated.

Shepard reluctantly laid her pistol on the table and began to step forward, when the officer held his hand up to stop her.

"And the other one, ma'am," he nodded at her uniform.

She rolled her eyes as she slipped her hand into her jacket and pulled out another pistol and placed it on the table next to the first.

"Thank you, ma'am," the officer responded, and the scanner chirped approvingly as Shepard passed through the doorway onto the main floor.

A young woman approached to escort her to meet with the Illusive Man. This would be interesting, Shepard thought, to meet him in person rather than remotely. They entered an elevator and the young woman pressed a button. Shepard could sense they were traveling upward, though the button pressed was unmarked. The elevator door opened to reveal a long empty corridor with one door at the end. Shepard stepped out, but the girl remained, smiled politely, and took the elevator back up.

Shepard looked at the lone door where the Illusive Man was expecting her. She never wanted it to come to this. Begging for HIS help.

She squared up and walked down the carpeted hall, gathering courage. She was meeting the Illusive Man on his turf and knew he would have the upper hand here. Still, this was her last chance. The last hope for finding what she had scoured the entire galaxy for. The door approached quicker than she'd have liked. She drew in a long breath, remembering this was Thane's only hope in ever being able to do the same.

The electronic locks chirped as the door slid open, the last barrier between her and the Illusive Man. There he stood, a dark figure in the far corner of a conference room. She stepped in and the doors clicked behind her. This was it.

A black table with sleek leather chairs and a few abstract paintings on the walls were the only furnishings in the small room. She was expecting to meet in his bright, open office with a few guards present and the nearby sun bearing witness to the exchange, but it looked like this discussion would be more private than she'd have liked.

"Shepard," the man greeted her with a voice so much more rich and clear than the one she had heard through the transmissions on the Normandy, yet still it was unmistakeably his. She saw the flicker of a lighter and the glow of a cigarette as he stepped out of the shadow. The smoke seductively left his mouth and carried his words with it, "I was just thinking about you. How convenient of you to stop by."

Shepard approached the opposite end of the long table, glad it was there to put distance between the two of them. Something about him really put her off, and not just the fact that he was the asshole in charge of this corrupt enterprise. Though she was the strong and fearless Commander Shepard, she always felt smaller when talking to him, and she could never figure out why. She remained quiet, her eyes following the smoke dancing from his lips up past his blue eyes.

"So, what brings you here, Commander?" The way he clearly enunciated her title made her feel mocked. "Tired of our long-distance calls from the Normandy's briefing room? Have a seat." He gestured at the chair at her end of the table, but she remained standing.

"Well," Shepard began, taking in a slow breath. "I wanted you to know how strongly I feel about the reason for this talk, and felt it'd be best expressed in person." The Illusive Man's just stared at her, waiting for further elaboration.

She swallowed and continued, "I think you will agree that before I take my crew through the Omega 4 relay, I need everyone in tip top shape, with their heads completely in the game. No distractions."

"Yes," he agreed. "Thanks to you, Grunt has now found his place within the krogan. And Krios has been reunited with his son. A bit emotional, but an excellent start to earning your crew's loyalty."

"I want the best for my team. And I will do whatever it takes to make sure they're ready for this," Shepard affirmed. The Illusive Man nodded his head in understanding. "You just mentioned Thane Krios..." she said.

"The assassin, yes. "

"You never disclosed in his dossier that he suffers from Kepral's Syndrome."

"It wasn't necessary," he explained. "It hasn't progressed enough to keep him from doing his job. If he revealed that information to you on his own accord, then fine. But I assure you, he will serve his purpose. And a noble one at that." He shifted his weight to the other foot and looked down at the ashtray as he tapped the cigarette. "His son will be proud. "

Shepard could feel the scars on her face glowing redder at the insinuation that Thane was nothing more than an expendable player in whatever twisted game the Illusive Man was playing.

"Hey!" she said, hurt. "Don't dismiss him like he's only good for our one big mission. He's more important to me than that."

"Important to you? I understand helping your crew with their personal missions for the sake of loyalty. But Commander, if you're getting personal with certain recruits, too... emotionally attached-"

"Of course... he's important to the team. Point is, he's a person, not your gun."

"He is what I need him to be. As are you, Commander." He pointed his finger at her from across the table.

Shepard was fuming and fumbling in her head for the right words. Something to take control of the conversation. Something that wouldn't make her feel like a fool. She set her jaw and pointed a finger right back.

"Listen, you ass. I'm Commander of the Normandy. They're my crew. You depend on us to get what you need. And you will give me all the resources necessary for me to do my job."

The Illusive Man crossed his arms, amused. "Is that so?" He mocked. "What do you want, Shepard? What do you need to 'do your job?'"

She tried her best to flush the fury from her face and hold in an angry tear. "Give me a cure for Thane. So he can continue after the mission. So he has something not only to die for, but to live for."

The Illusive Man was taken aback by her obvious personal interest in the drell. "What?" He chuckled. "Why are you asking me?"

"Because I know you can do it."

"Darling," his blue eyes laughed at her, "I know you haven't been with us long, but surely you know Cerberus exists for human interests. What would we know about a rare drell disease?"

"Oh, you've got a smart bunch of scientists, I'm sure you could figure something out."

"Even if we could develop a cure for Kepral's, why should we? Sounds like a lot of time and money for a small comfort."

"Small comfort?! We're talking about someone's life! I am here to save people, starting with my own crew. And if you aren't going to help me, then I'll take on the Collectors without you," she said matter-of-factly as she crossed her arms.

"Oh, sweet Shepard." He began to raise his voice in annoyance. "You can't do this without me. I am giving you everything you need to succeed. I gave you a ship, I gave you a crew... Hell, I gave you your life! You will give me the assistance Cerberus needs to protect humanity!"

Shepard slammed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "I'm not giving you shit until you give me what I came here for!"

He ran his right hand through his hair, trying to comprehend what she was trying to say. He looked at her with stern brows. "Is this an ultimatum?" he asked for clarification.

She kept her nose turnt up and her renegade eyes red as fire. "You're damn right it is. Find a cure, and maybe I'll find a reason to help you again. "

The Illusive Man shook his head. "Don't kid yourself. You won't stop fighting the Collectors. You want to save people? You can't save anyone unless you take their base, so that's exactly what you will do. With or without Cerberus."

He was right, she was too independently driven to let Cerberus stop her from going through the relay. But she couldn't bear to imagine setting out on this mission knowing that even if they succeeded, she would still lose Thane. She had promised to do whatever it took to find him a cure, and it looked like she was about to put the fate of the galaxy on hold.

"You're wrong," she said, speaking before she had time to reason out her thoughts. "I will cease all activity aiding Cerberus' plot to pass through the Omega 4 relay. You will receive no further intel, no resources, and no more tactical assets in this pursuit. I am grounding the Normandy at the Citadel until I hear word of your cooperation." Her jaw quivered but her voice made it clear she wasn't joking around.

The Illusive Man tapped his dying cigarette over the ash tray, his brows furrowed in thought. If he were to be honest, he did need her. But he would never admit it. He couldn't let her get the better of him. He knew he had been losing her since the very day she woke up in the lab. He needed her back on his side, and maybe this was how he could achieve that. He raised his head up to look her but couldn't quite make his eyes meet hers. "Let me think about it," he said.

"What is there to think about?!" Shepard scoffed.

He knew he could probably pull some strings and get some doctors and drell specialists in here to develop a cure as quickly as he demanded. All it would take would be the right amount of money. But he wanted her to want it, to earn it.

He feigned a fatherly tone and laid out the rules. "Shepard, look. I care about you, I spared no expense to restore you to how you were before the accident. I want you to succeed in your mission. So, you keep cooperating with me, I will review what resources I have at my disposal, and I'll let you know if this Kepral's cure is something I can offer."

She looked him warily. "You'll do everything you can?"

"I promise."

"No half-assing this. Someone's life is on the line."

"Cross my heart."

She unfolded her arms and after a pause, agreed.

"Expect a message from me within the next few days."

The Illusive Man put out his cigarette and looked at her, her genuine eyes brave and hopeful in the face of uncertainty. Risking her dignity and career for a terminal drell. He supposed there was something admirable about that, but concluded it was mostly just silly and a bit feminine.

The knot in her stomach began to fade. This was the most progress she had ever made when searching for the cure. Though she was disappointed that this was just one more way to get involved with evil Cerberus, this might be Thane's last hope.

She wondered if this was when she and the Illusive Man were supposed to shake hands, but the table was too long to reach across and he never stepped around to seal the deal. As if on cue, the young Cerberus girl opened the conference room door and gestured for Shepard to step out.

Shepard thanked the Illusive Man for meeting with her and said that she was looking forward to his message. She followed the girl out and back down the long hallway. He watched the door slide close behind them. The hero, Commander Shepard, had just begged him for help! An army of Reapers couldn't move her, but the Illusive Man now had direct control over the one thing that could. He would use Thane's life to get what he wanted from Shepard. He could raise her to success. He could ruin her. His own little puppet.

Shepard stepped back onto the Normandy and into the cockpit long enough to tell Joker "Let's go."

"You got it, Commander," Joker said as he set a course for the Apien Crest. Now it was back to work like usual until she heard from the Illusive Man.

Garrus and Miranda were the only ones who actually knew the real reason she had met with the Illusive Man. She didn't want to get Thane's hopes up if her plan didn't work out. Shepard knocked on the door to the main battery before walking in. Garrus spun around, eager to hear how her meeting went.

"Shepard! You're back. How'd it go? Did you have to shoot him?"

Shepard smiled. "No, I didn't shoot him."

"Damn," Garrus shook his head. "I like it when you shoot people."

She laughed, recollecting her own fantasies of the day she would finally shoot the Illusive Man in his stupid face. "He's going to see what he can do. We just have to keep playing along."

Garrus wasn't surprised. "I knew you'd find a way to make it happen. You're very stubborn, and you care so much."

"I just hate working with them, you know?" she sighed.

"I know," Garrus said. "But you're making the right call. We're here with you whatever happens."

"Thanks, Garrus," she said. "I'll let you get back to work."

Shepard returned to her cabin and checked her email. Though it had only been hours since she had met with the Illusive Man, she looked for a message from him anyway. There were none, of course. She picked up the picture of Thane she kept on her desk and smiled. "We're going to cure you, damn it," she said to his image before setting it down. "We've been fighting too long to lose now."


End file.
